Here we go again. Many people will have thought that now that the number of infections is quickly rising again. Even those who are not infected will be affected by the measures to combat the virus. That can be mentally difficult. And the end of the pandemic is not yet in sight. How do you keep yourself mentally healthy?
We asked that question to three psychologists who investigated the mental impact of the first corona wave. Their advice to get through the second wave as best as possible is not always obvious. For example, have you ever thought about ‘mental time travel’?
“Pretend you are ten years later and think about what you tell your children or other loved ones about the corona crisis. Chances are that your story is quite positive”, says developmental psychologist Bertus Jeronimus. “Mental time travel forces you to distance yourself from your current situation. That can help you to get a better grip on it.”
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Less stress after a good joke
Look up humor, is the advice of social psychologist Madelijn Strick. She explored the influence of humor during the corona pandemic by asking people questions before and after seeing jokes about corona. “After the jokes, people had less negative feelings: less scared, stressed and lonely.”
Strick therefore advocates a ‘second wave of humor’ on social media. In March and April she saw a lot of creative jokes on the internet. “But those jokes about pajama days and bad haircuts are now exhausted. It’s time for something new.”
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A joke about Rutte’s hair during the first wave
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Jeronimus is working on a major international study that is tracking the mental states of thousands of people in more than 100 countries during the pandemic. The Dutch are doing relatively well, he notices. “We are of course a rich country, there is support from the government. As a result, the real blow has yet to come.”
During the first lockdown, about half of the population was found to suffer from nervousness, back pain, headaches or poor sleep. The psychological pain is unfairly distributed: young people suffer more from it than older people. And poor people suffer more from the measures than rich people.
Previous research shows that seven out of ten people do not suffer any lasting mental damage. “We are wonderfully good at dealing with great misery,” said Jeronimus. However, if there is a strict lockdown after all, this will change, according to previous pandemics.
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Walking better than a game of boxing
Neuropsychologist Erik Matser calls the corona crisis the largest social experiment ever. “We are confronted with novelty every day, I have never experienced that before.” The brain can therefore use some rest and regular exercise is a good aid, says Matser. “Think long walks, not boxing in the gym.”
The neuropsychologist, like the other two experts, is concerned about the psychological effect of the second wave. “We now know what to expect. We know it will get worse. That makes it harder”, Matser thinks.
“The first wave had something new: the first online meeting, the first digital drink. We are now more pessimistic”, Strick adds. According to Jeronimus, until now it was bearable because it was thought to be finite. “Now people are starting to realize: this is going to be a very long story.”
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